Social Care Green Paper

Part of Business of the House – in the House of Commons at 3:35 pm on 29 October 2009.

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Photo of Greg Mulholland Greg Mulholland Shadow Minister (Health) 3:35, 29 October 2009

Indeed. It is welcome that at least we now have something from the Conservatives, having had radio silence from them for many years, apart from barbed comments across the Dispatch Box. At least they now have a policy to discuss, even if it is criticised.

It is a little rich for Mr. O'Brien to sit there chuntering when all the Conservatives have is a partial policy that would help a very small number of well-off people. Let us be clear about that. The only people who will be helped by that rather odd contribution from the Conservatives are those who can afford to pay a lump sum of £8,000 at that stage. That may help a few of the people who the Conservatives think are more likely to vote for them at the next election, but if they seriously think that that is any kind of contribution to this important debate, it probably would have been better for them to have carried on saying absolutely nothing at all.